Gap Analysis of Expectations and Performance of University’s Role to Promote Entrepreneurship in Tourism - A Gender Comparison

Entrepreneurship is a major engine driving many nations' economic growth, innovation and competitiveness (Scarborough and Zimmerer, 2003; Kuratko and Hodgetts, 2004). Moreover, in the developing countries like India where the problem of unemployment is a serious concern, creating self employment is the only option available with the youth. But, at the same time very few people take the risk of an entrepreneurial venture and create resources and opportunities for self and others. But the Government of India, realizing the potential of entrepreneurship for tourism, has come up with many programs boosting the overall status and role of Entrepreneurs in Indian society. And with the government, there starts the role of universities in promoting this concept as a vehicle of employment. But the perception of the students before joining the university and actual performance of universities in the promotion of this, is a question yet to be answered. With this backdrop, the present research aims at evaluating the gender comparison of the expectations and performance of the tourism students vis-à-vis university's role in promoting entrepreneurship. The respondents of the study are the tourism students studying in the universities of Jammu. There are two universities offering tourism course i.e Jammu University and Central University of Jammu. Since there are only few students in these courses, census is taken for the study. The research makes use of various statistical tools like ANOVA, t-test, etc.